All Majesty and Power [antikvár]

INTRODUCTION This collection is in two parts: prayers for royalty and prayers by royalty. There is a good deal in both Scripture and tradition actively to encourage the former, and diligent search can reveal many interesting and intriguing examples of the latter. BIDDEN BY THE SCRIPTURES The Hebrew Scriptures look back to David as the ideal king. He had established his throne at Jerusalem and exercised a wide and weighty rule. In times of adversity the Jews comforted themselves with God's promise to David, 'Your family and your kingdom will be established for ever in my sight; your throne will endure for all time' (2 Samuel 7:16). David prayed that God's continuing blessing might 'rest upon your servant's house for ever'. Yet he and the people were always aware that, as the Psalmist says, 'The Lord is King for ever and ever.' It is perhaps surprising to realise that during the captivity in Babylon the Jews prayed for the kings of that land. In the sixth century bc, Baruch managed to persuade the Babylonian authorities to return some of the holy vessels which had been looted from